BUTTE — Our furry friends in Butte are two paws closer to getting an updated animal shelter, but it’s not just the puppies and kitties that are benefiting from this work.
An ADA-compliant ramp for the public, a new cat area, and new office spaces are being installed.
Big improvements are underway for Butte's furry friends! Watch the story unfold!
"They’re very important. They’re not just a piece of property. They’re part of the family," says Jeremy Buzzard, a new dog owner.
Buzzard recently adopted a puppy named Shadow from the shelter and is returning to get updated shots, a process that animal shelter officials say will be made easier for patrons and animals once construction for phase two of the shelter’s revamp is complete later this summer.
"So, here we are, I never thought the day would come to be honest with you. So, it’s exciting," says Lynette Hogart, the Butte-Silver Bow County animal services manager for the Chelsea Bailey shelter.
Hogart says, along with a $40,000 grant from the America Rescue Plan Act, a donation of $127, 860 from the late Stephen Tomazich that was received at the beginning of the year is moving the project forward.
"We couldn’t have done any of this without the $127,000 from Tomazich," says Hogart.
Phase one of the animal shelter renovation took place last year with new kennels for the animals. The second phase of the project includes the addition of an ADA-compliant ramp, expanding the lobby, new office spaces, a new animal control area, a new cat area, and an ADA-compliant bathroom.
"It is a game changer and I think it’s just gonna make the animal shelter so much more welcoming and user-friendly," says Hogart.
Cats are not currently up for adoption at the shelter, but the shelter has 14 dogs that are available for adoption. Lynette also says the community food pantry that serves around 100 pet families is also on hold until construction is complete.
"We just don’t want anybody getting hurt coming up here. So we just kinda put our food pantry on hold until our construction is done," says Hogart.
She expects the pantry to open again in about a week. Construction for phase three of the renovation, which will include exterior play yards for animals, will begin in the fall.
